I will be straight forward with you, I own a Samsung smart TV at home and that is only used for sports watching. The rest of the media is consumed on either Android or Windows based laptop. However for this review I went to the mall and experimented with the smart TVs there. While I tested around 4 TVs, I noticed that those were the latest models on offer from LG. This review is based on my testing results.
The Good
The LG TV Remote works straight out of the box. Set your smart TV up, install the app and you are ready to roll. There are no deep customizations required in the app to make it work flawlessly on your smart TV. The interface is very accessible even on smaller devices. Generally speaking the app performed really well during my time with it.
The Bad
There was no mute button to be found on the interface. This is one of those features which I’m pretty sure no one will notice until they accidentally turn their TV on at mid night. I would’ve liked to have that on the front page of the remote. Secondly a TV was not supported right of the bat but thankfully LG offered another compatible app which solved the issue.
The Bottom Line
If you do have an LG TV at your disposal, get this app. There is no question about it. This app will help you get more out of both your Android smartphone as well as the smart TV in your den. The app works well and provides enough features to satisfy a hard core TV enthusiast.
Getting It On
Once you have downloaded the app from the Google Play Store all you need to do is launch it. The app launches in almost an instant and thankfully without any first time jitters. The process of getting the app on your phone and starting it is really easy. The app comes with a really small size so it is an almost instant download as well. You can theoretically download the app with your mobile data as it won’t hurt the limit that much.
Launching the App
Now that the app is on your Android phone or tablet, it is time to actually turn it on. Once you start the app you will see the following screen: This is just a stupid way of determining which device the user is using. You might think that maybe some people prefer the tablet interface on their phones for easy typing or what not. I thought so too, that is until I actually switched to the tablet mode on my Note III. The below abomination is what I saw: The app basically doesn’t even work with auto-rotation and will only work with portrait mode on phones. Not that I was actually going to use the app in landscape mode, but it still seems like an odd design choice.
Pairing With TVs
The app is extremely fast in knowing which TV is nearby. Although I recommend that you connect to the same wireless network as the TV for almost instant identification. If you are not connected to the same network, you may see the below screen: If your TV is not compatible with the app, fear not! LG has a completely different app for you to use. I’m not a TV manufacturer but I do know that both apps can be bundled into one package in this day and age. We have robots that do the dishes for us, LG.
Using the App
Usual interface gripes aside, using the app is actually quite fun. The main remote interface is fine but it is non customizable. The buttons are well placed and they all work. Changing channels or increasing volume is done in a very responsive manner. The app has some nifty features which are only available on smart TVs. The app also allows you to launch apps on the TV. This is a great feature which I’m sure many will really like. The best part is, you can actually interact with the apps through your smartphone. LG TV Remote also presents a track pad like interface which can be used to control the pointer on the TV screen. Now you will have a new level of control over your far off TV screen.
Permissions
This LG TV Remote app wants nothing from you whatsoever. It won’t save any data to your Android smartphone. It won’t send data from your Android tablet. It will only do its job just the way it was intended to do. This is a great thing when going in favour of this app.
Conclusion
The LG TV Remote is a great app if you have an LG smart TV at home. The modern the TV is, the better the app will perform. Some great features like mini TV are only available on the latest TVs from LG. If you don’t have an LG TV, we do have a great list of TV remotes for Android TV, be sure to check that as well. If you have any questions or concerns, beam them to me in the comments below.
